1. Field of the Technology
The present technology relates to a toner cartridge and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus installed in a printer, a copier or the like uses a toner that is reserved in a developing device in the image forming apparatus to form an image. In a field of such an image forming apparatus, a toner cartridge is conventionally known for supplying a toner to a developing device. The toner cartridge supplies, when a toner in the developing device is consumed to be reduced, a toner in the toner cartridge into the developing device.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2001-83802 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2008-216360 describe a toner cartridge including a container with an outlet and an auger screw-like conveyance member. With such a toner cartridge, a toner in the container is conveyed toward the outlet by the conveyance member so that the toner is dropped off via the outlet, then the toner is supplied into a developing device.
In the toner cartridge using the auger screw-like conveyance member as described in JP-A 2001-83802 and JP-A 2008-216360, a toner is retained near an outlet at the time of stoppage of the conveyance member. Accordingly, when some sort of vibration is applied to the toner cartridge, there is a problem such that a phenomenon that a large amount of toners suddenly flow out of the toner cartridge to be supplied into a developing device even at the time of stoppage of the conveyance member, or a so-called toner avalanche, occurs.
To approach such a problem, it is considered that a flexible film is attached to a conveyance member to close an outlet with this film at the time of stoppage of the conveyance member. However, in the case of such a configuration, there is a possibility that friction is generated between the film and an inner wall of a container to generate friction heat, which causes an adverse effect on a toner.